Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1887-07-01
The Olympia Land Office.
EDWARD EVERETT

And now comes the official an
nouncement that the Offices Of the
Register and Receiver of this District
are to be removed from Olympia to
Seattle. In common with our citizens
generally, we regret that this change
has been made, for several selfish rea-
sons, among which We may enumerate
the following:
First, Said officers have annually
caused considerable sum OF money
to be distributed here by people CON-
ing from abroad upon land-oftice bust
Office business, in the shape Of fees to
our local attorneys, their hotel bills
and. other incidental expenses. We
will of course lose this, together with
the presence of our genial Register
and Receiver and their obliging clerks,
and such proportion Of their salaries
rs has heretofore been distributed in
this community.
Second, AS matter Of convenience
to our people, it would be much pre-
ferablc to them to have said Offices re-
main here than 50 elsewhere.
Beyond this, but little can be said
against the change. 1t was one of the
necessities of changing events. The
formation of the Vancouver Land Dis
trict left Olympia in the extreme
southern portion Of the old district,
and considering the interests Of those
now having business at these offices,
we must frankly confess that in our
judgment the change will be to the
. advantage of q large proportion of
them.
The effect OF the removal of these
offices upon our own community, we
are confident, will not be so damaging
IS some of our good people seem to
think. In fact we have often thought
that if We were once fairly rid of the
whole batch Of Federal officers, capitol
and all, it would be decidedly to the
advantage of our community. We
would then be freed from the constant
apprehension of having them taken
away from us. and be compelled to
turn Our energies towards the acquisi.
ton of something permanent instead
Of wasting them in endeavoring to
preserve possessions Of doubtful value
and which We are almost sure to lose
at some time: Public Office and pa
tronage is an insecure dependence al
the best. 1t is notorious that the indi.
I vidual who falls into this line, and de.
ponds upon public Offices for support
however successful he may be, as a
rule, comes out with nothing saved
and no means of making living in
any other way. This is quite as true
OF communities which educate them
selves into the idea that their very ex
istence depends upon such public as
sistance. Olympia is notedly com
munity of this kind. 1t has grown
into the idea that its chief means o.
subsistence is the crumbs derived from
the Federal appropriations expended
here, when,' in fact, these all combined
do not furnish direct employment fol
more than fifteen persons, not any
thing like as many persons as are EN-
ployed about an average loggine
camp. Neither do the whole corps O
Federal employees put as much money
in circulation in the community a.
the employees Of an ordinary logging
camp, yet the latter come and 60 with
out notice while the prospect of losing
q couple of petty offices causes how
that would lead stranger to thinl
that it would be our death-blow.
The regret at losing these offices i
natural enough, and while we partici
pate in it, We at the same time fee
that their removal, like the fires which
have at several times caused us grea
apparent loss, would after all be to GU
lasting advantage, by leading us I,
substitute something better in thei
stead, just - We build gooa bricl